"Tyranny of the Urgent"

I thought technology was supposed to save us time and effort. I'm not sure it's working...

I remember when I was a kid and we got our first dishwasher. Supposedly you just stuck the dirty dishes in, turned it on, and voila, out came the clean dishes! But in reality, if you don't clean off the dishes first, they don't always come out clean. I suppose the dishes are more sanitary than if I washed them by hand, but what happened to saving time?

What about computers? I remember the first desktop computer we got at work. It was great! Suddenly I could print off lists and keep track of inventory without writing everything out by hand. Twenty years later, my computers still help me get work done faster and easier, but they have also increased my workload because now I am blogging, checking e-mail, and surfing the 'net, all of which I never did before. My life is not more relaxed and at times, it threatens to spin out of my control.

This has all forced me to reconsider my priorities. With less free time, I have to really think about what is important. While I really like to read e-mail, paying bills takes precedence. Surfing the internet is very relaxing after work, but when it's my night to make dinner, I have to choose between the surfing and dealing with a frustrated wife. Thanks, but I can leave the surfing for later...

In 1976, Charles Hummel wrote a classic essay called, "Tyranny of the Urgent". (see http://www.assistnews.net/STORIES/2004/s04120111.htm) At that time, Hummel wrote that the telephone was one of the biggest distractions, and that was before cell phones! The shrill ring (or ring tone) of a phone captures our attention and demands an immediate response.

We need to distinguish between what is "urgent" and what is "important". Many urgent things demand our attention, but just because something seems urgent does not mean it is important. If we are willing to take a few minutes each day to sift through all we have to do and sort our list(s) into what is important and what is merely urgent, we can experience a sense of accomplishment and peace. On the other hand, if we give in to the demands of the "urgent", we will feel harried, tired, burnt out, and exhausted.